MAY in Town From the Desk of Town Manager Libby Gibson.

What's up in Town Administration?

May 2, 2022 Annual Town Meeting/Election Highlights

The 2022 Annual Town Meeting concluded in 2 nights. On the first night, 1,050 voters were checked in; on the second night that number was reduced by approximately half, at the beginning. Of note:

- at the beginning of the meeting, special acknowledgement was given to the following Town employees with over 25 years of service who retired since the last Town Meeting or who are retiring in 2022:

• Trisha Murphy/Finance Dept – 28 years, retiring in June
• Artell Crowley/Health Dept – 30 years, retired
• Sherry Souza/OIH – 30 years, retired
• John Muhr/Police – 30 years, retired
• Stephen Murphy/Fire – 35 years, retiring in September
• Jeffrey Johnsen/Water – 45 years, retired
• Chris Pykosz – 45 years, retired

We also made a special presentation of a Town Service pin to our Moderator Sarah Alger for over 25 (26) years of service.

• of the 107 Articles on the warrant, 31 were initially called and several of the calls were withdrawn after the first night
• voters approved 11 of 12 capital outlay exclusion and/or debt exclusion projects/items/real estate, totaling $58,026,000 (tax rate impact calculator)
• the FY 2023 General Fund operating budget of $105,523,366 was approved
• Article 39, a new general bylaw, authorizing the establishment of short-term rental regulations through the Select Board and Board of Health was adopted
• Articles 42 and 43 (43 was citizen-sponsored), competing zoning articles related to short-term rentals, were not adopted; however, a motion to establish a work group to work toward developing consensus for a zoning bylaw was adopted (immediately following Town Meeting a “pre-work group” comprised of the Chairs of the Planning Board, Select Board, Finance Committee plus 1 member each of those groups, was established to prepare recommendations as to the composition and mission of a larger, more representative work group to actually come up with specific recommendations regarding short-term rentals). At its June 1, 2022 meeting, the Select Board will be reviewing the draft framework for this Work Group
• Article 54, a citizen-sponsored zoning bylaw amendment relating to restriction of pools and hot tub/spas in certain areas of the Island, passed by one vote
• Article 69, a citizen-sponsored article to ban “nip bottles” was passed, to be effective June 1, 2023
• Article 71, a citizen-sponsored article to establish a new bylaw for “gender equality on beaches” passed. Because of numerous inquiries about this article, we developed an information sheet about it
• Article 78, a citizen-sponsored home rule petition to regulate fertilizer, was passed as amended
• Article 101, an article authorizing the Select Board to enter into a long-term lease for use of Town-owned property for a recreational shooting range facility was passed.

There are a number of follow-up actions that will now occur, including: all of the approved bylaw articles will be compiled by the Town Clerk and sent to the Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) – these do not become effective unless or until approved by the AG; all of the approved home rule petitions will forwarded to Nantucket’s legislative representatives, again, these do not become effective unless or until approved by the Massachusetts Legislature (and sometimes, other state agency approval is required); projects that were approved for funding will be prioritized and staff project managers assigned.

At the May 10, 2022 Annual Town Election, Select Board incumbent Matt Fee was re-elected and new member Brooke Mohr was elected to replace the seat vacated by Kristie Ferrantella. Congratulations to Matt and Brooke and appreciation and thanks to Kristie for her service.

For more information on the 2022 Annual Town Meeting & Election, visit 2022 Annual Town Meeting Warrant with Finance Committee Motions, Annual Town Meeting Town Clerk Summary, and Tuesday, May 10th, 2022 Annual Town Election Results.

Other activities with which Town Admin has been busy:

• Creation of a “State of the Town” video - The video aired at the April 27th Select Board meeting. Last fall and winter, it became evident that the summer of 2022 was likely to be challenging, with supply chain slow-downs, labor shortages, housing and employee recruitment and retention difficulties, and the likelihood of more visitors than ever. Internally, we began discussing ways to address these issues and, let the community know that services could be impacted. Nantucket is not immune to similar pressures facing businesses and towns across the country, if not world. Town staff has always worked especially hard during the summer to provide a high-level of service so everyone can enjoy Nantucket. The video is intended to provide a broad overview of the state of the Town, including our strengths, where we will need patience and understanding, as well as the initiatives we are putting into place to address the identified issues. At the meeting, I dedicated the video to Bill Sherman – long-time Civic League member and Town board volunteer. Decades ago, Bill recognized the need for Town government to modernize and was instrumental, along with many others, in working to develop the Town Charter. Bill has been a supporter of Town Administration and from Day 1 he has been encouraging a “State of the Town” message. Here you go, Bill! Thanks to all of the staff who helped compile the narrative and images for the video; and, special thanks to Florencia Rullo, the Town’s Public Outreach Manager who produced the video.

• Development of a QR Code sticker for Town information - In an effort to put out current and accurate information about Town events, rules and guidance, we developed a sticker that people can scan with their phones – again, thanks to our Public Outreach Manager! Soon, you will be able to find the sticker on sign posts around Town and public buildings.
• I was lucky enough to be invited to the Cyrus Pierce Middle School earlier this month to be a special guest on their weekly Friday CPS Special Guest Show – it was so much fun and the hosts were terrific. Special thanks to producer Mark Gonnella for such a great program!
• Long-term solid waste planning - Town Administration and our Solid Waste Consultant provided an update on long-term solid waste planning at a Select Board workshop meeting on April 25th.

Of Note:

Earlier this month, the intersection at Washington and Francis Streets was widened – this has been a plan in the works for several years. Long term a study is underway as to elevating Washington Street in anticipation of sea level rise and climate change projections. Sidewalk repairs were underway earlier this spring on India Street and South Water Street. The DPW has been hard at work this spring, mowing, street and bike path cleaning, street markings and facility maintenance. Thank you DPW!:

Cybersecurity

Staying Cyber Safe this Summer

Whether you are doing a staycation here on Nantucket, visiting family and friends, or globetrotting, staying safe online and protecting your personal and financial information is critical. Now that the world has reopened travel opportunities have expanded for all of us. These simple steps can help to keep the cyber criminals at bay.

1. Lock your devices. Lock your device if you are not using it. this will prevent someone from accessing your data if your device is lost or stolen.
2. Use a strong password or PIN and use fingerprint or facial ID when available.
3. Update your passwords before traveling, if possible. Do not share passwords and PINS between devices and accounts. Use a password manager such as iPassword, LastPass, Keeper, LogmeOnce and NordPass.
4. Be careful with public Wi-Fi. If you must use public Wi-Fi check with staff to be sure you are connecting to the right network and use a VPN. Vendors that provide VPN services include Norton VPN, NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark.
5. Turn off auto-connect for Wi-Fi. Manually connect if you must use Wi-Fi and, again, use a VPN.
6. Keep operating systems and apps up to date. Follow your manufacturers update recommendations.
7. Turn Bluetooth off unless you are actively using it. Bluetooth enabled devices can be hacked into.
8. Backup your devices to the cloud before traveling. This way, if you lose a device, you will be able to restore it more easily.
9. If possible, use contactless payment methods such as tap to pay and your mobile phone wallet.
10. Be cautious of posting on social media. You are advertising your location to the world and the fact that your home may be vacant.

Keep these tips in mind, safe travels and may all your adventures be amazing – whether they are at Jetties Beach or Bora Bora!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Actions

For Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) heritage month 2022, the Town of Nantucket’s Culture & Tourism Department and DEI Office collaborated to host a virtual lecture on the island’s AAPI history. Dr. Frances Karttunen was the guest speaker and her lecture was titled: Pacific Islanders on a Faraway Neighbor Island. View the recording of the lecture if you want to learn more about Nantucket’s AAPI heritage.

Meet NEET: Human Services Director Jerico Mele

Sometimes it can be difficult to ask for help, especially in a small community like Nantucket. Yet, providing help, assistance in its many forms, is at the heart of Jerico Mele’s job. Born and raised on Nantucket Island, Jerico is the Human Services Director, a division of the town’s Health & Human Services Department (HHS). Mele is fairly new to the position but he started at a time when the job responsibilities took on new urgency (in the early months of uncertainty leading up to the COVID-19 global outbreak). In an April 2022 interview at the relocated HHS office (now at 131 Pleasant Street), Mele shared his experiences in the position as well as his hopes for the impacts Human Services can provide the community.

Prior to the pandemic, Jerico Mele was living in Japan. After seven years of living abroad and at times feeling like “the other” in a foreign land, Mele shared that the onset of the pandemic was the catapult for him to return home to Nantucket. Upon his return, Jerico was unsure of his next steps, professionally, but he knew he wanted to “do something for the place where I grew up.” With extensive experiences related to the responsibilities of the position, Mele applied for and became the Human Services Director in 2020.

One of the first questions asked was, what is human services and what does this department do? According to Jerico, “Human services was a separate department for a while and is now a division of the health department… When I was hired, they asked me to describe what I thought the position was going to be and my description was, ‘When you don’t know who else to call, you call me.’ So, I’m sort of the grab all for all resident facing services.”

“As I got into this position my responsibilities expanded to include a lot of COVID related [issues]. From contact tracing to providing guidance, I helped with suggestions for summer activities, I ran the Town’s vaccination program, and I helped to plan the hospital’s vaccination program at the VFW; and basically that’s [COVID] been my primary job since I got here.”

Although still present, as COVID-19 continues to ebb from Nantucket’s shores, the human services department’s focus has started to shift. “Now I’m doing systems planning and, I guess, future-proofing our behavioral health resources with an eye to wrap all human services offerings (from rental assistance, food assistance, behavioral health assistance, senior citizens services, et cetera) into one intake system, which then does referrals out.

Asked to describe the public’s comprehension of the human services department, Mele stated, “I think most people don’t see human services.” He went to explain how human services is often confused for human resources. For Jerico, “Human services is a backstop for people who need something, it provides a need that cannot be addressed under normal circumstances. So, we deal with people who are, in some degree or another, in crisis. No one likes to think about crisis when they’re not in one, so I think we’re kind of invisible.”

Jerico discussed many topics throughout his interview such as housing insecurity, sweat equity, the public’s misconceptions about municipal governments, as well as his personal desire to resurrect Nantucket’s railroad. When asked about his workplace culture and comradery, Mele took a deep breath, it seemed like he was reflecting on the weight of the question. Given the bonds that were developed through their shared experiences leading the fight against COVID-19, Mele said the Health and Human Services department operates like a family, a work family.

“We are a department of self-motivating and self-governing workers, which makes it easy to work here…. Over the last year, the COVID pandemic has made us develop extremely tight connections to each other. Take Heather (co-worker) and I for example, we’ve probably put in a couple hundred hours of us doing clinics, outside of normal work situations, which were stressful. But, it was an excellent way to build comradery and connections between people. [Because of this] the department is really tightknit and we’re supportive of each other even outside of work.”

All Meet NEET participates are asked their outlook for the town’s newest department, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office. For Jerico, the office is in its infancy, but it has “potential.” He shared that DEI can help make people feel part of something greater than themselves and he hopes the office will address systemic issues in the community. Mele said that racism is less overt on Nantucket, but it exists. Jerico also mentioned that he fears the corporatization and capitalization of DEI may take away from the need for the position across industries.

Before concluding, Jerico shared that his favorite pastimes are skateboarding, star gazing, reading, and riding his electric bike. He also strongly recommends that everyone go for walks though the moors, an environmental treasure and open space. Asked for three adjectives to describe his hometown, he selected: distant, beautiful, and complex. He went on to explain each adjective and his elaboration demonstrated that Nantucket is a part of Jerico Mele’s identity.

At the end of his interview, Jerico was asked if he had any final thoughts. Surprisingly, he turned his attention to the importance of volunteerism during the peak of COVID-19. “I don’t know if shout outs are appropriate here, but I do want to acknowledge the work over the last year of the volunteers. The work and enormous effort that the town community nurses have done and the enormous amount of work and commitment we got from all the volunteers that worked on COVID. It’s been insane to me to see the same set of volunteers at every single clinic for over a year; completely unpaid, they helped because they saw a need.”

Compassion is probably the best word to describe Jerico’s interview. He has compassion for his hometown, for the people in the community, and for his job. Based on Jerico’s interview, it is evident that human services is the professionalization of showing compassion and empathy for others, especially for our Nantucket neighbors and community

Energy Office News

Town of Nantucket Receives $161,000 Grant to Support Energy Efficiency Initiatives

Last month, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Green Communities Designation and Grant Program awarded the town approximately $161,000 to support energy efficiency projects at municipal facilities to further Nantucket’s clean energy goals. This grant is the second consecutive Green Communities award for Nantucket.

The town was named a Green Community and received its Initial Designation grant in 2020. Like the 2020 award, this year’s round of funding will help reduce municipal energy use and costs, as well as local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

This latest grant award, in addition to National Grid incentives, will cover more than 80% of the total cost of several energy conservation measures, including LED lighting, high-efficiency heatpumps, and wifi thermostats. Together, these upgrades will result in $27,474 in annual energy cost savings and 44 tons of avoided CO2 emissions.

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Fire Department

This month, the Fire Department took delivery of a new Fire engine that will replace a 1988 piece of equipment. This new truck is a Rosenbauer Fire Engine purchased through the dealer Specialty Vehicle in Attleboro, MA, funded in the FY21 Budget. E7 is a commercial cab Freightliner chassis extended cab and 4 wheel drive. This truck will serve multiple functions, but first, it is a fire truck with full complements of hoses and ladders and firefighting equipment. E7 holds 1500 gallons of water, more than most typical fire trucks, so with an addition of a dump chute from the tank, this truck also serves to function as a tanker when we need to shuttle water out of the hydrant district.

It is designed to be flexible in its mission. While it is a big truck it can still navigate the streets of Nantucket and will see most of its use outside the core of the Island.

Over the next month, we will continue to outfit the truck and perform training for all our members. We are grateful to the residents of Nantucket for allowing us to obtain the equipment we need to serve the Island.